An Unlikely Heiress
by The Lazy Intellectual
Summary: Kagome has unwillingly inherited the protection of the Shikon no Tama. Forced to live with a family who never wanted her, Kagome feels like she will go insane. Will she find solace in her dog demon protector, Sesshomaru?
1. Chapter 1: Most Carefully Laid Plans

**Disclaimer:** No, I do not own Inuyasha. That wonderful anime and manga is solely credited to Rumiko Takahashi.

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At the Konshi family shrine, a ceremony that had taken place hundreds upon hundreds of times in the family's past once again was taking place. Every family member was lodged into the four walls of that immense building for one purpose. To find who would be the next to protect the Shikon no Tama.

Born from a legendary battle between miko and youkai, the jewel contained the souls of Midoriko and the demons she fought. From the day of its creation, it had been a temptation of power for demon and human kind alike. The duty of the Konshi family was to keep such power from the wrong hands.

Kikyo took pride in this fact from the day she was born. From a very young age, she had been recounted of the heroic, blood-curdling stories of priestesses long past. Even now the stories thrilled her and everyday she tried to live up to those renowned ancestors. Her father, Shirosaki, made sure of this as well. As chief of the clan, he had made sure his daughter was rigorously trained in the arts of the miko. Kikyo was able to excel in each one and was well known throughout the clan for her prowess. All expected her to be the next Shikon Miko but no one so much as her.

Two wooden oak doors that allowed entrance into the shrine slowly cranked open to reveal the form of her father. Garbed in elaborate robes, he ambled up the aisle each step causing a jingle as the rings on his staff clashed together. He continued until he came up to the stage where a small pedestal stood with a pillow. There the Shikon no Tama rested. Her father gave the pearl-like jewel a bow than went around the pedestal to face the audience. Looking across the congregation, he made eye contact with everyone and gave her a private smile.

"Brothers, sisters," he began, "I know today that many of you are still mourning as am I. Emiko's passing has been sad for all of us. All her life she had been a good friend to us all and lived her life with honor."

Taking the red velvet pillow, her father lifted it up with the jewel, "Emiko proudly protected the jewel as Shikon Miko and kept its light pure everyday without a thought to herself," he than placed the pillow back down, "She was an exemplary priestess and she will not be forgotten."

"But now is the time for new beginnings," he continued with fervor, "Let us move forward to see who will be Emiko's successor being sure to never let her memory leave our hearts. Let us begin with the future. Sesshomaru!"

From the front row, a man stood and stepped forward to stand by her father. Facing the audience, he was an impressive sight with heavy thick armor and two swords at his side. For all that he was intimidating, he was beautiful as well. He looked like some fallen angel with his moonlight kissed hair and rich amber eyes. Yet past his looks there was nothing of the sort. Sesshomaru was a powerful inu-youkai warrior who for the last five hundred years had been entrusted with the protection of the Shikon no Miko. This time would be no different.

Red hot excitement began to run through Kikyo's veins. It would not be long, now. Soon after Sesshoumaru came up, her father requested that every miko stand and line up before the jewel. That was how the next protector had always been chosen. Whoever's touch could keep the jewel completely pure would be the one.

Kikyo took her time getting in line. No point in rushing the inevitable, after all. One by one, a girl would touch the jewel but would fail to purify it. When it came her turn, Kikyo could feel the expectant eyes watching her every move; she could see in her mind's eye the proud smile spread on her father's face. Putting her hand forward, she gently placed a finger on the Shikon.

It did not purify.

Gasps and exclamations took place all over. The unimaginable had happened and Kikyo was numb with shock. Repeatedly, she would touch it but nothing took place. She was not the one. All her life she had been brought to believe that this was her birthright and yet__ the jewel did not choose her.

Her father finally urged Kikyo away in a soothing tone. As if in a trance, Kikyo went to sit back down. Her face was pale and her eyes were wide like she had seen a ghost. She could hear the talk of people around her but they came to her as a whisper. Only one word resounded in her mind. Why.

The procession continued albeit slowly. Kikyo watched each one like an eagle would its prey. Every touch that came by the jewel failed to purify it and when the last girl came up a look of mixed excitement and trepidation took her face. She touched the jewel but still nothing took place. Every priestess in the building had touched the jewel but no one succeeded. No one was the Shikon Miko.

Panic began to run rampant through the whole building. Desperately, men came up to see if perhaps a man was to be the jewel's protector though it had never happened before. Their efforts were in vain. For the first time in the Shikon's history, the Konshi family failed to find the next predecessor within its ranks.

She suddenly heard her father gasp out, "It cannot be."

But it was. Unknown to her, the memory of a child had come to his mind. A child that was never supposed to be. A child who was the product of a scandal that happened over twenty years ago. A child who now held the fate of the Konshi family.

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Interested? I hope so. I know I like it when a story is interesting.

Personally, I think I did fairly good for a person who does not have a beta at the moment. By the way, if anyone is interested in being mine feel free to message me or email me at .

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys the first chapter. Don't forget to review because I love feedback. It makes me grin inside and I also like criticism, too. I always want to make my writing better.

That's it for now. Later!


	2. Chapter 2: Miroku, A Not so Monkly Monk

**Disclaimer: **No, I do not own Inuyasha. Go figure.

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Just coming home from a long day at working at the hospital, Kagome Higurashi was overjoyed at the prospect of a relaxing evening in front of her TV with a bowl of popcorn. Slipping off her crocs, she began the process of making her favorite salty snack, not bothering to change out of her scrubs.

Soon her wishes were granted as she curled up on a cushion in her all-purpose living area; the room being called "all-purpose" because the room acted as almost everything. A study, dining, and media room was wrapped into one and by simply pulling out a futon became her bedroom. Considering that the apartment was only 500 square foot, it was the best she could do with such a small space. Though, Kagome was anything but unhappy. Living there in the five-story complex chock full of college students and recent college graduates like herself, Kagome was able to live alone without feeling alone. All in all, she was quite content with her living situation and would take her small, cozy space over a large, lonely one any day.

A sudden knock came at the door. Placing her bowl on the low dining table behind her, Kagome padded over to the entrance. She figured it was Yuka and Eri, two girls who also lived in the complex. They had wanted to get together to watch a few movies. Kagome gave a puzzled glance at the clock. The girls were not supposed to be there for at least an hour. Brushing it off, Kagome opened the door.

She was stunned when she found not her friends but a young man. A grin was plastered on his face and he looked like he had walked straight out of a holy shrine with his monastic robes. 'Is he supposed to be a monk or something?' she wondered.

"Hello?" Kagome greeted dubiously.

"Good evening," He replied with a smile, "Are you by chance, Higurashi Kagome?"

Kagome gave a nod.

"Good, I was afraid I had gotten the wrong apartment again," the man sighed out, "The lobby lady kept giving me the wrong number."

"Yeah," Kagome chuckled out, "I don't mean to be rude but who are you?"

"My apologies, my name is Konshi Miroku."

"Konshi?" she questioned darkly. He gave a nod. She slammed the door in his face.

Kagome marched away ignoring Miroku who kept knocking at the door. 'Konshi' she spat in her mind. It was her mother's family. Again. For the last week and a half, the family that had never wanted anything to do with her before was suddenly coming in droves. Two others had just come to her yesterday. Apparently, she was the "possible" heiress to a Shikon no something. She never bothered to remember the name.

"Please Higurashi-san, open the door. I must talk with you!" Miroku begged.

She continued to ignore him as she dropped back down onto one of the cushions surrounding her dining table. Grabbing a small IPod from her shirt pocket, Kagome began listening to music to tune the monk out.

What she did not expect was for the "monk" to break into her house. Kagome gaped when the locked door was suddenly swung open. Jerking out her earphones, she went to the door to check that it was working properly. Miroku meanwhile let himself in. Finding that nothing was wrong, she turned to him.

"You picked my lock, didn't you? Kagome accused incredulously.

"Not by choice, mind you," Miroku defended as he settled down at the dining table, "May I have some popcorn?"

"No, you may not," she gritted out, "I want you out of my apartment."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that."

Kagome settled down across from the man, a scowl glued to her face the whole time.

"Look," she sighed out, "I know why you are here. And I am going to tell you what I told the others. I have no interest in gaining anything from the Konshi family. I won't budge on this so you should just go home. Find yourself another heiress."

The monk hesitated before answering, "That answer I cannot accept, Higurashi-san. Indeed, you do not understand the severity of the situation."

"Then help me understand," she bit back.

"The Shikon no Tama is a jewel of immense power," Miroku explained, "If put in the wrong hands, it can bring the destruction of the world. That is why it is imminent that we find an heiress. We must find its next protector."

"Ok," Kagome said crossing her arms, "This is a jewel we are talking about, right? A little piece of jewelry. How in the world can it be dangerous? Not to mention, why does this have anything to do with me? Just find someone else to protect the thing."

"The jewel is powerful because it was formed out of the souls of a legendary miko and the demons she fought when she died. Anyone in possession of it can increase their strength by tenfold and have any wish granted. It is the Konshi's responsibility to keep the Shikon no Tama from causing harm," Miroku answered.

"However, the jewel cannot be protected by just anyone," he continued, "In the hands of a normal person, the jewel becomes tainted. Whoever can keep its light pure is the jewel's protector." Here he paused to look Kagome in the eye, "This year nobody was able to purify the jewel. Higurashi-san, you are our last hope."

Silence stretched out between the two as violet eyes looked beseechingly into blue. Finally, Kagome broke the quiet.

"It's official," Kagome began, "My mother's family is insane. No wonder she ran away."

Miroku gave a disappointed sigh as he began to pull something out of his robes. "I was afraid it would come to this," he admitted.

She was about to give a retort when he stuck an ofuda on her forehead. Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion overtook her body. Her eyelids kept getting heavier by the second until she could keep them open no longer.

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Something was rubbing her bottom.

Silently, Kagome began to awaken. Her body felt as stiff as cardboard and the most horrible crick was in her neck. Opening her eyes by just a sliver, she was puzzled to find herself leaning against a car window. She did not remember getting into any car.

That something ran along her bottom again. Glancing to her right, she saw that Miroku-guy. She then noticed where his hand was.

"Pervert!" Kagome screeched mindlessly slapping him across the face.

"H-higurashi-san, please let me explain," Miroku stuttered trying to distance himself.

"Explain what, hentai?" Kagome growled out with murder in her eyes. "What kind of twisted monk are you?"

"I was only trying to wake you, Higurashi-san, but my hand slipped."

"Yeah, right. First you break into my home, then you knock me out, and now you're fondling me in my sleep?" she listed out, "I ought to kill you!"

She might would have, too, if the car had not come to a sudden stop. Miroku scrambled out like a frightened rabbit, tripping over himself in the process. Like a she-devil, Kagome went after him.

So much for a relaxing evening. . .

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Damn . . . Miroku was kind of pushy wasn't he? Oh well, if I brought out a chuckle or two with this chapter I will be happy.

This chapter was unbetaed as well, so I will go ahead and apologize for any mistakes that I might have missed. Also, if you are disappointed that Sesshomaru was not in this chapter, don't worry he comes in the next chapter. There's also a kiss. ^_^

**Important Note:** I will be giving updates in my profile on this story (such as when a new chapter is scheduled to go up), potential new stories that may be coming, or anything along that venue.

A special thanks to all who reviewed for the first chapter. I appreciate each one and they are a great motivator for writng.

Until the next update!


	3. Chapter 3: A Newborn Fascination

**Disclaimer: **Last time I checked, I am not Rumiko Takahashi and _she _is the one who owns Inuyasha.

**Personal Note: **You may hate me by the end of this chapter. Read at your own risk.

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_"She is here."_

_"She is? Then let us go. I do not want this to be any longer than necessary"_

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For all his layers of clothing, Miroku was fast. Kagome panted as she tried to keep up with him on the dirt path. He ran up a set of stairs and soon she lost sight of him once he crested the top. She tried to increase her speed up the steps but ended up tripping and landing on her knee. Hissing at the pain, Kagome forgot about Miroku for a moment and waited for the pain to ease away. Once it did, she slowly ascended the stairs.

Coming to the top of the stairs, she came to a stunned halt. She saw Miroku bowing before two men who were standing on a tiled path. One man looked to be in his mid to late forties. Dressed in an elaborate sokutai, he looked like an aristocrat from centuries ago. He looked down his nose at Miroku giving her only a brief glance.

His companion had her fervent attention, though. Looking at the silver-headed man, Kagome couldn't help but be fascinated by him. He was like some fairytale warrior brought to life as he stood like a proud statue. Wearing thick leather armor, a spiked shoulder strap, and two swords at his waist, he was the very picture of intimidating. Yet he was undeniably beautiful and it seemed to conflict with the fierce façade he put forth. Especially when combined with the white boa on his other shoulder and the red flowers that were sprinkled on the shoulders of his haori. To her, he seemed like a living contradiction.

"Is this her?" she heard from the older man.

A red blush stained her cheeks as she turned her gaze away. She could not believe she had been so sidetracked. Not to mention, she had completely forgotten her anger towards Miroku.

The monk straightened up to look at her. "Yes, that is her, Shirosaki-sama."

"Good," turning his cool gaze to her, Shirosaki spoke, "Follow us, girl."

Kagome narrowed her eyes at the name but decided to ignore it. For now.

"Look," she pleaded, "I don't want this Shikon __ whatever. Please, can you not take me home and forget about me?"

With every word she said, Shirosaki's stoic expression quickly formed into an ugly scowl. Once she was finished, he stalked up to her like a snake would its prey and grabbed her by the forearm. Kagome almost yelped at the tight grip. She was not going to let him intimidate her. The only sign of her discomfort was a temporary wince. However, she made no effort in hiding her anger.

"Let go of me," she demanded.

"Shut up, wench!" Shirosaki hissed out, "If I had the choice, I would never have brought your filth here. The Kami truly must hate me," his fierce grip tightened as he continued, "Now you will follow us to the shrine and begin with this abominable ceremony. Then I won't have to look at your face any longer. Until then, you will act like a good little girl. Understand?"

Kagome hesitated before answering. Every fiber of her being wanted to scream, protest and fight. She decided to ignore the desire as a tentative idea came to her mind. Slowly, she gave a nod.

Shirosaki gave a satisfied grunt and thankfully released her arm. He turned away from her and began towards the shrine along with the other man. Miroku, on the other hand, went to her.

"Are you all right, Higurashi-san?" he asked concern clear in his eyes.

"I've been better," Kagome answered rubbing at her arm, "but I will survive. Thanks for the concern though."

Miroku gave her a smile and a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Afterwards, the monk began to catch up with the others. Kagome, on the other hand, turned around and began to run.

If they thought for a minute she was going to give in so easily, they obviously didn't know her well. The trees around her became like a blur as she rushed back down the stairs. Each step struck a bolt of adrenaline through her body as Kagome attempted her escape. It helped to alleviate the dull pain that still lingered in her kneecap. Once she got to the car, she would try to convince the driver to take her back home. She planned to tell him something along the lines that the Shikon had ended up rejecting her and that she could now go home. She tried to put aside the fact that she could not successfully lie to save her life.

In the end, it was pointless because she ran into a wall.

Or at least it felt like one. Kagome did yelp this time as she fell hard on her bottom. Tears welled up in her eyes as she glared at the towering figure above her. The same young man from earlier stood before her.

If "man" was even a proper term for him. Closer to him now, Kagome could see just how inhuman he looked. The silver hair was one thing but now she could see the cat-like amber eyes, the pointed ears, and most of all the deadly claws. Not to mention, he had appeared before her almost like a ghost. His very presence sent pinpricks of awareness through her body. 'What is he?' she wondered in awe.

"Come," he spoke in a baritone voice.

Walking past her, Kagome watched him as she stood. She began to follow him after dusting herself off. She considered trying to escape again but felt it was pointless. He would only stop her. For now, she decided to comply with their wishes. Hopefully, after this ceremony was done, they would let her go and things could finally go back to how they were.

She refocused her attention on the . . . whatever he was. Her best guess was that he was youkai, though he was not anything like the youkai depicted in her grandfather's stories. Her Jii-chan's demons were always grotesque in appearance with bulging eyes, bloated faces, and abnormally long tongues. He was nothing of the sort.

Tired of not knowing anything about him, Kagome asked, "Who are you?"

"Sesshomaru," he answered after a few moments.

'Sesshomaru,' Kagome said in her mind experimenting with the name. A host of meanings came along with it and none of them came with any friendly connotations. "Killing Perfection", though, seemed to suit him the best. It went along with the contradiction he presented.

"And," Kagome continued a bit hesitant to ask her next question, "What are you?"

Sesshomaru paused at the question and looked back at her curiously. Soon he turned way and continued on while saying, "I am inugami, a dog demon."

The answer only acted to increase Kagome's curiosity. He was not anything like the inugami she had heard of. When she thought of one, pictures of a dog dressed in human clothing or a giant dog leaping through the skies would come to her mind. She wanted to ask him more but felt there was time of that later. They had now gone past the steps and were soon past the torii that marked the shrine's entrance

The shrine itself was immense in size and made the Sunset Shrine, her childhood home, seem like an ant in comparison. The entirety of the shrine was tiled down in smooth stone. Each building and structure was built from a dark, cedar wood and were all centered around a large temple. The temple seemed to be their destination.

Kagome gave out a sigh. Tired, angry, and confused, she wished that somehow all of this was a horrible dream. Though, she knew it could not be a dream. Her stinging kneecap, sore arm, and aching bottom were all proof of that. If Kagome did not know any better. She would say she was a bit accident-prone.

Now, entering the massive building, Kagome was awed by its size and ornate appearance. It could easily be as big as a football field if not bigger, she decided. At the moment, Sesshomaru and she were walking down an aisle padded down with bamboo flooring. Each side of her was flanked with hundreds of sitting cushions. Ahead of her was a stage, where she could see a large, golden statue of Buddha but most importantly a pedestal where a small jewel sat. It could only be the Shikon no Tama.

Shirosaki and Miroku were standing at each side of the pedestal. Shirosaki was giving her a death glare while Miroku only gave her a smile. Sesshomaru stayed just off stage while Kagome stepped up onto the stage and put herself just before the jewel. Shirosaki spoke.

"Now, wench, touch the jewel."

She practically growled at the expletive. "Kagome," she grated out.

"What?" he said.

"My name. It is Kagome. Use it," she demanded looking him straight in the eye.

"All right, Kagome," he snarled out, saying her name like it was stinking puss, "Touch the jewel."

Wanting to get it over with, she raised her hand. Her touch had a ripple effect on the jewel, as it suddenly went from a dark lilac hue to a bright, iridescent one. It brought a sigh from Shirosaki.

"It seems you are the one," he said bitterness and anger thick in his tone, "Miroku, you put the jewel around her neck. Then proceed with bonding her to Sesshomaru as her protector. I am leaving."

A shocked look overcame Miroku's face. Unknown to Kagome, this was not how things were done. Shirosaki was supposed to be the one to carry out those duties and the fact that he was pushing them onto him was a grave insult to Kagome. This was worse than Miroku had suspected. He knew there would be great tension and perhaps a few insults but he never thought that Shirosaki would take it this far.

"Do you not need to stay as witness for the bonding ceremony, Shirosaki-sama?" Miroku asked.

"No," he answered, "I only had to be present for the purifying of the jewel. Now that it has been done, I will leave."

And with that, Shirosaki let himself out of the building. Miroku turned to Kagome and gave her a deep bow. "I apologize for his rudeness, Miko-sama."

"It's ok," Kagome said off-handedly and a little puzzled by the new title, "I'm just glad he's gone. But I would like to know what he was talking about when he said 'bond ceremony'."

"Oh yes! The bonding ceremony will be used to bond Sesshomaru-sama to you as your protector. The ceremony is used to symbolize the new connection you both now have," Miroku explained and then turned to the silent demon, "Sesshomaru-sama, do you mind coming on stage while I put the Shikon around her neck? Then we can go ahead and start the proceedings."

He did as Miroku asked and came on stage. Standing himself before her, Kagome could not help but feel small. Her head came just above his shoulders and his body frame was so wide that he could easily engulf her. After fastening the necklace around her neck, Miroku went to stand just to her right. Her eyes nearly bolted out of her head, when Sesshomaru bent down on one knee before her and bowed his head.

"Sesshomaru-sama, great inu-daiyouki who sworn himself to the Konshi family long ago," Miroku began, "do you swear to protect and honor the current Shikon no Miko until the day she dies?"

"I do," he stated.

Turning to Kagome, Miroku continued, "Higurashi Kagome, now that you have become the Shikon no Miko, do you accept Sesshomaru-sama as your life-long protector?"

Kagome blushed feeling almost like she was in a wedding ceremony. "I do?" she uttered sounding incredibly unsure.

"Good," Miroku said a satisfied grin coming on his face, "Now stand, Sesshomaru-sama. Stand so that you both may kiss to commemorate this grand occasion and symbolize your new link to one another."

"K-kiss?" Kagome whispered as an even more furious blush overtook her face.

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Do you hate me now?

If its any consolation, I am going to try to update on Wednesday afternoon. . . please don't hurt me. T_T

This chapter gave me so much trouble. There's no telling how many changes I made or how many paragraphs I rearranged. This chapter was unbetaed as well so I apologize if I missed anything. Be sure to point it out if I did and I will be sure to fix it.

A quick thanks to all my reviewers, you make my day shine! And don't forget, violence is not the answer!!!


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